Cafes
Red Tea Box
The Red Tea Box sells spectacular fondant dessert creations, boasts a sparkling coach house slash tea room in the back and has an excellent selection of loose leaf teas. There may be "no outside food", "no reservations", "no groups larger than six" and the "last seating is one and a half hours before closing" but if you can find your way around the constraints, it's worth stopping by to see (and eat) the pretty.
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but whoever the lady is upfront (asian woman) should get fired. and if she owns the place, she should get some lessons on how to deal with customers.
the food was okay. we got the beef sandwich and mushroom soup. the sandwich was tasty. so was the soup, but it was obvious that it was reheated. i didn't have to blow on my soup or wait for it to cool down (like their tea) to have some.
and the biggest disappointment (besides poor management) was dessert. the bill came up to $35, which is fine, but not if almost half of it was spent on a chocolate malt layered cake that was old (it was too crumbly). too much fondant, little cake. i feel like i paid $11 just to eat fondant.
all in all...i'd probably go back. but like anonymous, i'll just avoid the b!tch (or maybe just bitch at her back) and have dessert elsewhere.
I find a lot of times people want to go for loud socialization, laughing, joking etc. but this isn't the place for that (if that's what you want go to a pub). You can't change the atmosphere to fit the people, the people have to respect the atmosphere.
Also, it's definitely not a place for children.
It's ideal for relaxing, chilling with friends, light casual gossip over a warm cup of tea and mouth watering food.
as for the comment saying that the place is not for socializing or children... not everyone is a single person without kids who wants to go to a cafe and sit alone... (i'm single without kids and i occasionally like to sit places alone, so i'm speaking quite objectively).
if you're in the public eye running an establishment as people-friendly as a cafe, your establishment should be kid friendly, and definitely friendly to people who want to socialize! you can't put people in a social atmosphere (tea drinking, which since the beginning of time was about getting together at tea time with people and chatting).. and then expect everyone to sit in silence...?! what's up with that..
she sounds like a rather bitter lady, unfortunately, because her tea shop looks quite cute and i would love to visit it but customer service is very important to me... i'm one of those letter-writing people who can't stand poor customer service. i'm not going to waste my time or money there, especially since there's lots of cute places with tea and desserts to go visit... maybe not all in the same place, but that'll just mean i'll have to go to two different places .. oh darn.. ;o)
thanks again for your comments!
if you think it's some sort of ad hominem or some racist comment, it isn't. i'm not saying she's rude because she's asian.
i was just being specific.
Having said that, their cakes are awesome...
They're open Monday(till 6), Wednesday(till 6), Thursday(till 6), Friday(till 7), Saturday(10-7), and Sunday(12-5) every week. Tuesday is their rest day. The kitchen closes an hour and a half before the shop closes each of those days. Not everything on the menu is available every day of the week. Sunday is strictly the Bento Boxes, tea, and desserts (they don't serve sandwiches, soups, and salads). On the weekdays you can order the 1/2 soup, 1/2 sandwich combo.
I hope this helps you plan your visit. The food is delicious, everyone I have ever brought here has loved it, and I feel from reading the reviews that the service is subjective.
2. expensive. REALLY overpriced. you can get the same tea at tealish which is just down a few blocks, a whole lot more of it for LESS then what you spend here on a tiny tin can of tea. also, the cakes are way overpriced for the amount of....
3. icing they put on top. the icing was very buttery, very thick and maybe an inch from the cake part. also, my cakes were ROCK HARD and they weren't frozen. makes me think they were stale, not pleasant AT ALL. would never buy cakes there again. i tried three different flavors and all three tasted the same, spare the insides DUE to the thick, sweet layer of buttery icing on top
i don't think i will ever go there again. the only plus to it is the decor. very lovely decor. everything else is just a scam. amazing what a little visual aid can do to people!
I've been visiting this amazing, sparkly establishment since it opened and never once received bad attitude, rude owners, poor management, rude/slow wait staff- nothing of what some people have mentioned here. The two sisters that own & run the Red Tea Box are ADORABLE!!!! Super sweet. One is soft spoken and the other more outgoing. Neither are in any way rude.. ?!? When my mother lived here (TO) we would go (TRTB) for lunch maybe once or twice a month and everyone was over the top delightful! In fact, after my mom moved away and I would visit the R. Tea Box to purchase tea or a chocolate to send to her- the owners would always give me large bags of tea, or goodies -on the house- (they didn't have to do this!) for my mom because they missed her.
That all said, I've witnessed a lot of people in Toronto be incredibly rude when they're out shopping or dining to wait staff/business owners. SO MANY people here (in Toronto) have an overwhelming narcissistic sense of entitlement it's disgusting. Add kids and a stroller and this sense of entitlement can grow tenfold.
The Red Tea Box has created a magical environment for people to visit and (re)experience childhood afternoon, make-believe tea parties, a bit Alice in Wonderland & Russian Tea House.
The Red Tea Box is beautifully decorated, full of whimsical, enchanting visuals (their cakes & cookies, and Bentos) definitely not a place for rude people that let their children run amok, yell, scream, or general chaos and crazy Nouveau riche bitches and, best of all the owners have no problem politely, and directly telling people to reign their children in, and telling people, no.
The Red Tea Box is well worth experiencing. Sit back, enjoy some Assam and a lovely cake.